Chebbi believes that, as these children grow up with computer skills, they will one day have a tremendous impact on their societies- building the academic, economic and social capital of their respective countries.

'Also, in many of these markets the government has objectives around increasing the digital literacy and productivity of its citizens, so Windows Starter is also helping these governments achieve their objectives,' he added.

Microsoft sees opportunity in beginner PC users living in developing countries who have limited budget for a first PC, have little PC experience, have children and want to extend PC ownership to them, and who want to learn new professional skills.

Ownership hurdles

According to Chebbi, among the ownership hurdles that Microsoft wants to address include affordability, ease of use, and reliability.